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ROCKVILLE, MD (February 23, 2023) — Gov. Wes Moore’s first proposed budget includes a 20 percent decrease in funding for a K-12 scholarship program for low-income families called Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST). The funding helps these families afford to send their children to quality private schools of their choice.

“Gov. Moore has done a lot of talking about investing in education over the last year, but this move shows that he cares more about funding Maryland’s massive education bureaucracy than giving students every educational opportunity they deserve,” said Maryland Public Policy Institute President and CEO Christopher Summers. “The Boost program’s current funding level is miniscule compared to the state public education budget, making a cut to it a negligible financial benefit to government-run schools. But the program’s popularity among some of Maryland’s poorest families shows that a cut will be a huge hit to the students who depend on it.”

The program currently provides an average annual scholarship of $3,106 to 3,248 students who come from households with an average income of $34,608.

One quarter of the students receiving Boost Scholarships come from Baltimore City, where proof of the program’s need was recently underscored. Reporting from Fox Baltimore showed that in 23 Baltimore City public schools zero students are proficient in math, and in another 20 only one or two students are proficient.

Baltimore City schools spend more than $21,000 per student, 85% more than a Boost Scholarship.

“The BOOST program is a huge win for both the students able to receive scholarships and for taxpayers.” Summers said. “But our public education bureaucracy evidently cannot cope with even a few low-income students getting the type of education that many public schools are not providing despite their already ample funding.”

“I absolutely believe that the state should help parents with these types of options,” said Kenya, a parent featured on the Maryland BOOST Scholarship Coalition webpage. “It’s very important because for a student to have a good education it seems like it’s far and few in between sometimes.”

The Maryland Public Policy Institute is a nonpartisan public policy research and education organization that focuses on state policy issues. The Institute’s mission is to formulate and promote public policies at all levels of government based on principles of free enterprise, limited government, and civil society. Learn more at mdpolicy.org.